Cissus quadrangularis – a cure for weight loss?

This article is about effectiveness of supplements made of cissus quadrangularis as outlined by Tim Ferriss. Read here about other Tim’s ideas like PAGG Stack.

Cissus quadrangularis – a healing vine

Cissus quadrangularis (CQ) is an exotic vine native to tropical regions of India, it propagates by stem cutting in summer. CQ is known also as veldt grape, adamant creeper, devil’s backbone, asthisamharaka, pirandai or birandai and hadjod. Chemical analyses of the plant have shown a high content of carotene, calcium, ascorbic acid and phytosterol substances. In Ayurveda it has a number of applications, being most known for its bone fracture healing properties, but also being effective agent for skin infections, gastritis, constipations, piles, anemia, asthma, irregular menstruation, eye diseases, burns and wounds. The extracts are made of its fleshy stems, leaves, roots and young shoots. Read more about the medical properies of CQ here.

In 4 Hour Body cissus quadrangularis was applied because of its effectiveness in fighting obesity and problems related to metabolic disorders. Tim Ferriss managed to maintain weight and low BMI although he ate a lot thanks to a CQ Supplement.

Tim Ferriss’ cissus application

Cissus quadrangularis. Photo by J.M.Garg

Tim experimented with cissus while visiting rural China, where meals with lots of rice and sweets, consumed 3-5 times a day in sitting, are very common. He wrote that cissus saved his well formed abs because it was perfect to minimize fat gain while overfeeding. If you take a periodic day off your diet, like the binge day when on the diet accompanying the PAGG Stack, CQ is the best supplement to avoid rapid fat gain resulting from the spike in calories intake. To read more about Tim Ferriss cissus experiments and results read Tim’s best selling book “4 Hour Body”, the chapter “Damage Control: Preventing Fat Gain When You Binge”. The cissus brand used by Tim Ferriss was Super Cissus RX, which is not sold anymore.

What is Super Cissus?

The question what is super cissus is frequently asked by customers looking for information about cissus quadrangularis. Super Cissus RX was the best selling cissus supplement on the market at the time of Tim’s experiments. Up till today cissus has gained a lot of popularity, there are many cissus extract supplements available.

Cissus quadrangularis weight loss research

Tim Ferriss is not the first person who noticed the stunning weight loss related properties of CQ. Cissus quadrangularis effectiveness in treating obesity was a subject of clinical studies. A study conducted in 2006 in Cameroon has found that cissus quadrangularis extract is an effective instrument for weight loss. 123 overweight persons of various ages took part in this study.

What is interesting, the test persons were divided in two groups with and without diet, third group receiving placebo. The study has shown that the results of CQ treatment didn’t depend on dieting.

Cissus quadrangularis benefits

The benefits of cissus quadrangularis found in the above mentioned study were directly related to weight loss. All the persons who took the supplement observed reduction of BMI and weight. The LDL cholesterol blood levels dropped significantly, the blood levels of HDL cholesterol rose. The test persons also noticed a significant decrease in C- reactive protein, triglycerides, and fasting blood glucose levels.

If you take CQ Supplement to mitigate problems with your elbows or wrists, according to cissus quadrangularis reviews of satisfied consumers you are likely to experience a pain reduction, a fresh feeling in your joints and a quicker warm up before the training.

Cissus quadrangularis side effects

Some cissus quadrangularis side effects have been observed in the time of the experiment. Some test persons reported headaches, gas, dry mouth, diarrhea, and insomnia. However these ailments were more common in the placebo group, i.e. among the persons who didn’t take CQ supplement. This leads to conclusion that this supplement has few, if any, negative side effects.

Tim Ferriss limited his cissus quadrangularis intake because of the little research body for this supplement.This seems to be the safe approach, because there is little known about cissus quadrangularis side effects, it makes sense to take just the effective amount of the cissus supplement.

Super Cissus reviews

Update: Super Cissus RX is not sold anymore. Instead I recommend this cissus extract:

The best selling brand of Cissus Quadrangularis extracts on Amazon.com is Usp Labs Super Cissus RX. It is also the very brand of CQ Tim Ferriss was experimenting with. One packaging contains 120 capsules, the dosage recommended by the manufacturer is four caps a day. The supplement is recommended not only for weight loss but also for joints pain, like injured elbows or wrists.

One of the users, Naqam, in his super cissus review compared CQ to glucosamine, with CQ being definitely superior for strained shoulder. Another user, Sean, has developed intense pain of both elbows in 2 years of powerlifting. Sean has observed a significant relief after 2 weeks of taking super cissus.

For complete above mentioned reviews and for more super cissus reviews visit Amazon.com.

Cissus quadrangularis dosage

Tim Ferriss observed noticeable weight loss effects from the dose of 2.4 grams, three times a day, which totals to 7.2 grams a day. CQ extract was always applied 30 minutes prior to meals. Tim was not sure if the effective dose depends on the amount of lean bodymass, or if it is independent from the weight, so he suggested not to exceed the 7,2 grams per day.

In the course of the clinical study conducted in Cameroon test persons received a dose of 514 mg twice a day for 8 weeks. The capsules were taken immediately prior to meals with a little water.